Chapter 40 – Consequences

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD

Author's Note: In which Siri and Padme face the consequences of their actions. Sorry, not sorry. :')

~ Amina Gila

Before Siri even returns to the Temple, she knows that she's in a world of trouble with the Council. Not only did she break the law by going to Raxus, but also, she took Padme with her. She led a Republic Senator into what could have been a deathtrap. It was foolish and irrational, and Siri very much regrets her actions in retrospect. The entire galaxy now knows what she did, thanks to her capture.

And now, she finds herself torn, the words she overheard from Anakin bouncing around and around in her find. He is admittedly different from what she was expecting. She knows he's a Sith; she's seen what he's capable of. Somehow, she had thought that he would be… well, cold and ruthless without a shred of compassion or mercy. He's not like that though. When he spared Ferus, she had thought it was because he was simply playing a game, trying to mess with her head or otherwise confirm the validity of Obi-Wan's words to her. Now, she isn't so sure.

Anakin is nothing like what she had anticipated. He was far more emotional – and dare she say conflicted? – than she expected. Him declaring that he's not a good person doesn't really surprise her, except that she didn't imagine a Sith capable of such introspection. He knows that what he's doing is wrong, of course, but he's still doing it. More than that, though, Anakin was willing to be hurt – electrocuted, based on what Ahsoka said – to protect Padme. Is it all a ruse? Siri doesn't know, but she doesn't think so. Still, Padme's unusual reticence on the journey back to Coruscant makes her wonder.

What if it's all a lie? What if Anakin is using the Force to compel Padme into acting or feeling in a way which she doesn't? It's too ludicrous to contemplate for long. Siri felt how strongly Padme feels towards Anakin. She misses him constantly, and her love for him is deep and unyielding. If it was contrived, it would wane in Anakin's absence. So, no. Anakin is not controlling Padme, which means that the Senator sees something that she herself does not. What? What is it that Padme knows but isn't saying?

Admittedly, Siri hardly knows Anakin, but she is good at reading people. She's been on numerous undercover missions before and has met a wide variety of people all the way from criminals to their victims. Based on her experience – which is admittedly not nearly enough to make conjectures from – Siri would venture to say that Anakin acts less like a perpetrator, a power-hungry madman and more like… a slave.

Her mind hazes over at that comparison, and she has never before felt so confused, because that doesn't make any sense. Anakin was raised by the Chancellor himself! There's absolutely no reason for him to act in such a manner irrespective of his past. Siri would never want to accuse the Chancellor of nefarious, underhanded actions, especially when he's not only the head of the Republic itself but has also never had any such allegations in the past. Still, maybe it's worth looking into. Perhaps she needs to pay Anakin's mother an in-person visit to clear up a great many things.

Or if she runs into Obi-Wan, she can ask him to answer the myriad of questions spinning through her mind. Maybe she's reading too much into this. Maybe not. Even so, she'll follow her Jedi training and keep her senses alert. Master Yoda entrusted her with the mission to uncover who Darth Vader really is – she thinks she already knows, but she has no confirmation as of yet. She'll see it through, and she'll tell no one what she's planning. That way, if there is a traitor or criminal in unlikely places, she won't have to worry about the wrong person hearing the news.

The doors to the Council chambers slide open, and Siri steps inside, moving to stand in the center of the room as a Jedi, not as a Councilor. She can almost feel the disapproval in the room hanging heavily in the air. She might regret her actions, but that changes nothing. She made a choice, she was aware of the consequences, and she is willing to face them, whatever they may be. Hopefully it will be nothing too… serious.

"Is it true that you illegally went to Raxus without permission and took Senator Amidala with you?" Windu's voice is cool and detached as usual, but Siri gets the feeling that he's being colder than usual. He's probably hiding anger, disappointment, or both. She winces internally.

"It is," Siri replies calmly. "I went to speak with Senator Amidala about a matter which Master Yoda mentioned to me, and she believed that she could get answers from Anakin himself if – and only if – the Separatists and Republic opened peace negotiations. I let myself be talked into her plan against my better judgement."

"It was foolish and dangerous, a very unnecessary risk," reprimands Mundi. "It has put us in a difficult situation. In an emergency session, the Senate has decided not to have you arrested and put on trial for your illegal actions, but we cannot let you off without punishment."

Siri bows her head. "I understand." Outwardly, she's calm and composed, but inwardly, she's floundering. Anakin had said that he would help her and Padme escape, because it's what his master had finally agreed to.

"Sidious. And he is masterminding the entire war."

He wouldn't answer who, precisely, Sidious is, but he obviously must have some measure of control in the Senate to be able to "mastermind" the war, as Anakin claimed. And if he was able to fulfill his word, then it must be true. She doesn't want to believe it, but now she's beginning to understand why Obi-Wan so strongly emphasized that she not tell anyone that Anakin knows of him being a double agent.

A sudden, horrible thought strikes her. Is Obi-Wan helping because he genuinely wants to, or because the Sith Master – Sidious – told him to? Can she even trust anything he says anymore, any information which he feeds them? Will he one day walk them into a disastrous trap on Sidious' say-so? She pushes those worries aside for later analysis. Perhaps she can go speak with Ferus and some of his men after this meeting is over, or even later. She needs answers.

"Understand I do your desire to learn the truth," Yoda states, "But great care we must take, that mistakes we do not make. Dangerous times these are. Exploit our weaknesses our enemies will."

"Because of your actions, the Council has decided that you are to be removed from its ranks. Master Kit Fisto will replace you," Windu tells her. This time, there is something almost apologetic in his dark brown eyes. "Additionally, you will be put on two weeks of mandatory meditative leave in which you will remain at the Temple. You are not permitted to leave."

Siri controls her reaction to the second half of the punishment. It stings, but she probably deserves it. She never wanted to be on the Council in the first place. It was something she only accepted because she saw no reason to refuse. "I am willing to abide by these restrictions," she states clearly and without hesitation, determined to maintain her Jedi Master image to the end.

The Council members exchange looks as if conferring silently. It's clear that they already finished discussing this matter before she came before them. She might mind the exclusion if not for the fact that she's somewhat relieved at the leniency of the punishment. "Very well," says Windu. "The Council expects a full report of what transpired on your unauthorized mission."

As if she wasn't going to give them one anyways. "Of course, Masters," she replies respectfully, bowing before taking her leave. It looks like her work for the next two weeks is cut out for her. She'll have to write the Council report – which won't take long – and she'll have to find a way of getting the answers that everyone desperately needs.

**w**

Padme feels entirely wrung out and exhausted by the time she reaches her apartment, her mind whirling with all of the information which she learned from Anakin. None of it makes any sense, and she desperately wishes that she had someone who could help her puzzle it all out. Who could have gotten their hands on Anakin when he was still so young? Why did his mother never say anything? Padme knows how much Shmi loved her son. Was she being threatened? And what of the Chancellor? How did he never notice that something was amiss?

Something is wrong. She knows it, but she doesn't know what. Padme might not be a Jedi, but she knows that, according to Jedi dogma, the Force flows through everything. And right now, she thinks – she thinks she can almost feel it trying to push her – forcefully – towards the answers. She's simply unable to understand what its voiceless whispers mean.

Siri is sure to be busy with the Council, and Padme isn't sure if she should trust the Jedi Master enough to tell her the very personal things that Anakin said to her. Her handmaidens perhaps. They might not have known Anakin well, but they still knew him, and they, at least, are far more likely to be receptive to her words of his goodness. Sabe for certain already accepts and believes that Anakin isn't evil, simply lost.

"You," Sabe states categorically the moment Padme enters the apartment, "Are an idiot!"

"I know it was dangerous, but it was necessary!" Padme protests, frowning at her best friend. "I had to at least try to open negotiations."

"There will be no negotiations," Sabe replies bitterly, something sorrowful flickering through her dark brown eyes. "Mina is dead."

Padme inhales sharply. "What?"

"Dead," Sabe repeats. "The Separatists are blaming the Republic, and Count Dooku is speaking out publicly against such an act of 'terrorism.'" She sighs heavily. "The Republic is also accused of breaking its own laws by agreeing to have a slave army."

No. This can't be happening. All the risks she took, going to Raxus, talking to Mina, being captured… they were all for nothing. Never before has Padme felt as defeated as she does now. "What else?" she questions, bracing herself. Something in Sabe's eyes tells her that she won't like it.

"The Senate is an uproar over your actions," Sabe tells her grimly. "The Queen has removed you from your position. I'm sorry, Padme, but you are no longer a Senator. Jar Jar has been appointed in your stead. I am to be his advisor."

Padme feels the blood drain from her face, and she sits down on the couch. "I have devoted myself to the Republic, to the people! How can they do this?"

"Padme," Sabe says sharply, almost glaring, "You're lucky you're not about to be executed for what you did. You could have been accused of treason! You willfully broke the law and went to enemy territory to collaborate with the enemy. If nothing else, you could be facing years in prison. You're fortunate to still be walking free." She blows out a breath and sits down next to Padme resting a hand on her arm. "I know that your Senate work meant a lot to you. I know how much you want to help people. But maybe this is the Force's way of telling you that you are needed elsewhere."

Padme's mind automatically flashes back to Anakin as she remembers how he was acting and the things he said. She told him at the beginning that they can't have an ongoing relationship with the war and them being on opposite sides, and she intends to stand by that. She won't join the Separatists, no matter how much she might miss Anakin at times. And given what Anakin told her about how his master uses those he cares about to manipulate him – like he's still a slave – Padme refuses to let herself be pulled into the Sith Master's game any further.

"I don't know what I should be doing then," she admits helplessly. "How can I help people if I don't have a voice to defend and stand up for them?" This feeling of helplessness is a new one. She's been working in the political arena from the time she was a young child, and it now feels as if she's been thrown into the deep end of a lake with no idea how to swim. Where does she go from here? What should she do now? Is there even anything she can do about the situation? It's not as though the Queen's decision was unjust. She did go to Raxus knowing the risks.

"I'm sure you're stressed and tired after your journey, especially after hearing this news," declares Dorme as she enters the room, standing in the doorway. "Perhaps all of us should eat dinner, and you can tell us what happened."

Padme hesitates momentarily, but finally acquiesces. It does seem like it would be a good idea to have a meal which will allow her to unwind from everything which has happened. Mina is dead. She doubts she'll ever learn the details of what really happened without asking Anakin, something which she obviously cannot do right now. What will happen to Lux now? He's lost both of his parents over such a short span of time. If not for the war, Padme would willingly invite him to come live with her. He needs someone who can help him, and given the long friendship between herself and Mina, Padme hopes that she would be able to help Lux properly.

She hasn't gotten over her shock enough to even consider beginning to grieve. Somehow, the atmosphere feels far heavier and tenser than usual when she and her handmaids – Sabe, Dorme, and Corde are all here – sit down around the table. "So, you saw Anakin," Corde states a bit knowingly, raising an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Padme grimaces. "It wasn't easy," she admits, putting down her fork and looking up at her friends. "Something isn't right, but I can't place it. I think – I think his Sith master is…" How does she say it? How does she express the magnitude of what she's only begun to grasp? "It's not good," she finishes grimly. "We need to find this… Sidious. It's the only way to help Anakin. We can't give up on him."

Sabe and Dorme exchange looks. "We aren't," Dorme assures her. "He's your fiancé. He's a part of the family. We won't give him up as lost unless the evidence is indisputable."

Padme knows that Siri would never have been this understanding, for all that she likes the Jedi Master. The Jedi's views of the Sith are naturally biased as a result of their long, dark history. It's understandable, but it doesn't mean that Anakin is as evil or lost as the rest of the Sith. "Thank you," she says, letting her relief and affection show. "I don't know what I would do without you to help me." And it's the truth.

Sabe smirks, opening her mouth to say something, when she suddenly freezes, eyes darting from Padme towards the ceiling. Suddenly, she lunges to her feet, tackling Padme from her chair as the first hint of wrongness echoes in Padme's awareness. Padme hits the floor with a crash, Sabe's body covering hers as the ceiling – and room – explode.

Everything is a blur after that. The ceiling over them caves in, smashing down on them with incredible force. Glass shatters, and Padme thinks she hears screaming over the ringing in her ears from the sudden explosion. It was – it was right next to them, right over them. She's no stranger to attempts on her life, but this was totally unexpected, unwarranted. Who could be so bold as to try something like this?

She groans, blinking open her eyes to try and see something through the dust and smoke filling the air. Her shoulder is throbbing painfully; Padme thinks she sprained it somehow during the explosion, probably as everything fell apart around her. She takes stock of her injuries, realizing that she's mostly unscathed. The bruises and cuts aren't anything serious; they'll heal in time. A moment later, she realizes that Sabe is lying next to her, face ashen, and in a flash, Padme is scrambling to her side, trying to pull the pieces of duracrete and rubble – Force, how much of the building was damaged? – off her best friend's body.

Sabe's eyes flicker open, and she groans weakly. "Something – something's not right," she whispers, fingers twitching as she reaches out slightly towards Padme. "Can't –" She swallows a cry of pain when her body shifts until the rubble. "Can't feel my legs."

Padme stills instantly, stopping her desperate attempts to pull Sabe free. She knows what that must mean; she knows how precarious Sabe's situation is right now. If she can't feel her legs, then her spine must have been damaged and – No. Padme doesn't want to let her die, but it's not in her hands anymore. "Just hang on, Sabe," she murmurs, stroking a hair back from her best friend's face. She can already hear the emergency responders coming. "Help is coming."

Sabe grimaces, giving her a weak smile, blood trickling down her cheek from a superficial cut, and Padme leaves her there, slowly venturing further to see if she can find Dorme or Corde, the pit of horror and fear in her gut slowly growing bigger. Part of the floor has collapsed, and through the smoke – something is burning, something nearby. They need to get out of here before it's too late – Padme can see the crumpled form of Dorme. It's too dark to see clearly, but she could swear that there's a pool of blood under the handmaiden. She doesn't want to accept that – no. No, it's not possible. Only minutes ago – it was minutes right? – they were talking about everything that happened. The situation with Anakin seems trivial right now, her thoughts consumed by fear for her friends.

Padme doesn't see Corde anywhere, and she doesn't want to make the damage – or anyone's situations – worse by climbing around. Besides, she hardly wants to fall through the floor. It's a long drop, and she'll definitely be badly injured. "Corde?" she calls, coughing as smoke fills her lungs. "Dorme?" Nothing. No one answers, and her fear continues to grow. It's always hard to lose handmaidens, because they're her friends, her family. It's especially hard when she knows they died for her.

The rescue teams arrive less than a minute or so later, though it feels like an eternity, and everything becomes a whirlwind of action and chaos. Padme is escorted to a hoverambulance to be taken to a medcenter. She waits anxiously for news after her minor injuries are treated, and it's not until several hours later – after the sun has long since set – that she's appraised of the situation.

Sabe is paralyzed from her waist down, but she should make a full recovery – provided there are no complications – even regaining the use of her legs once she receives an implant to allow nerve signals to travel to the lower part of her spine. Dorme and Corde are both dead. Dorme was killed when she fell – she'd hit her head, fracturing her skull, and seriously damaging her neck. She'd been impaled by some of the debris and had bled out long before the rescue team got to her. Corde had been crushed under the ceiling, ribs breaking and puncturing her internal organs. She probably wouldn't have survived the massive internal bleeding, even if she hadn't been caught in the fire which broke out after the explosion.

Padme is numb when she hears the news. She knows that she's going into shock, too many things having happened in too short a time. It doesn't seem real that two of her best friends are now dead, but at least she still has Sabe. At least she has one friend who isn't now dead. More than anything, she wishes that Anakin could be here with her, comforting her. She misses him. She misses him so much that she's almost tempted to run away and find him. But she won't, because it would mean abandoning Sabe, something she'll never do.

Machines are beeping ceaselessly around Sabe, keeping her alive and monitoring her vital signs. "I'm sorry," Padme whispers, squeezing her best friend's hand and leaning forwards to rest her head on the bed next to Sabe. This happened because Sabe was trying to protect her. Maybe it really is time for her to leave the political arena, she doesn't know.

Padme rarely cries, but she does now as she sits on a vigil at Sabe's bedside, desperately looking forwards to the moment Sabe wakes up. It could be hours or days, maybe even longer, she doesn't know.

"Please, Sabe. Please wake up."

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